Ayumi Coward grew up listening to her grandmother’s stories of what it was like growing up in Hiroshima, Japan after World War II.
Hiroshima was devastated by the world’s first atomic bombing, and many of her grandmother’s stories are shaped by the losses and hardships of the war, she said.
“It really struck me, I was scared as a kid that things like this would happen again,” Coward said.
Watching the war in Ukraine last year, Coward said she was reminded of her grandmother’s stories.
She wanted to do something to send hope and support to the people of Ukraine.
So she started folding paper cranes.
Coward teaches an origami art class at PEI’s Seniors College
Last September, she and her students started a new project in which they folded 1,000 paper cranes to send to the Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa.
“1,000 cranes mean hope and peace,” said Coward.
She said the cranes were strung together to create a senbazuru, which has a long history in Japanese culture as a symbol of peace, happiness and good health.
hope for peace
Coward said she and her students wanted to show the people of Ukraine that they stand by them and give them hope that the conflict will end.
She hopes that with this small action, the group can inspire greater action and spread a message of continued support for all affected by the war.
“The human [are] not alone…when we people come together, we can create something great,” Coward said.
“We can’t stop the war, but [it’s] something we can help.”
The group began the project by reading the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl who, as a victim of the atomic bomb, set a goal to fold 1,000 paper cranes to restore her health, Coward said.
The story of Sadako Sasaki became part of the inspiration behind the project.
“It’s an amazing story that we’ve never heard before,” said student Faye Clow. “The idea that someone would turn a terrible incident into something for peace is amazing.”
The group folded cranes in the colors of various flags representing Canada, the provinces and territories, Ukraine and Japan, said Kathy Stuart, who worked on the project.
‘We take care’
Many in the group said they were surprised at the amount of work that went into completing all the cranes.
“Because you’ve done it every time and had to learn how to build a crane — which is quite a lot of work — you develop some thinking about where these cranes go and realize the cultural importance that they have,” Stuart said.
The purpose behind sending the cranes is simple, she said.
“We care, that’s the message.”
A sense of community
Liz Spangler said the project gave her the opportunity to meet many new people and to reflect on the situation in Ukraine and the experiences of the people there.
“It’s a hope for peace, I think, and that’s very important,” she said.
For nearly six months, the group folded and sewed a paper crane, one at a time, until the final crane was added earlier this week.
“Finally seeing 1,000 cranes was pretty exciting and rewarding, and it was nice because I realized I couldn’t have done it on my own. There were a lot of people there, it was a community project,” Spangler said.
“I can’t believe the amount of work all these people put into it,” Clow said.
After all these months of collaboration, adding the final paper crane to the Senbazuru was an emotional moment for Coward.
“I almost cry because the students worked very, very hard, and so did I,” Coward said.
Along with the cranes, the group has also put together a book filled with photos from PEI and messages from all the people who worked on the project, said student Reiko Dolan.
“We dedicate it to the Ukrainian people,” Dolan said.
“Hoping that the war will not last and will be over soon.”
Coward said she has traveled to Ottawa with her entire family and plans to deliver the cranes to the Ukrainian embassy this week.
